The Tinder Box

Hans Christian Anderson — 2018

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author best known for writing children's storiesincluding "The Little Mermaid" and "The Ugly Duckling." But he didn't just write short stories, and his intended audience wasn't restricted to children. In addition to his fairy tales, Andersen wrote poems, plays, novels, travel books, essays, and more. He hungered for recognition at home (Denmark) and abroad-and he got it! Eventually. Today, his stories can be read in over one hundred languages. But no matter what language they're in, Andersen's tales have got something for everyone. In them, you'll find beauty, tragedy, nature, religion, artfulness, deception, betrayal, love, death, judgment, penance, and-occasionally-a happy ending. They're complex tales, but since Andersen himself was pretty complex, we like to think that art imitates life. Or something like that. Includes vintage illustration!

Reviews

Stas@stasreads333

Apr 4, 2025

"Then the tin soldier melted into a lump, and the next day, when the servant girl took out the ashes, she found him in the shape of a little tin heart. But all that was left of the dancer was the spangle, and that had been burned black as coal"

i spent my entire childhood obsessing over this movie, and i still love it soooo much!! 5 stars for the little child in me who still loves these fairytales

This review contains a spoiler

Marit@maritt

Oct 20, 2021

The Tinderbox Chopping the head of that witch of was kind of unnecessary, but it did bring the soldier to become king. So... if you wanna be king chop some heads? Preferably of witches with interesting trinkets. Little Claus and Big Claus Both Clauses are just plain awful people, but to be fair Big Claus was worse. I don't think I've ever read this story before which I hadn't expected since I read quite a lot from Andersen. The Princess on the Pea A true classic, though way shorter than I remember it to be. The Steadfast Tin Soldier He just wanted to find love :c The Nightingale A beautiful tale that sends an even more beautiful message, I think. When I was little I always enjoyed it a lot, and I still do. It just has a wholesome-ish feeling that a lot of fairy tales have less off. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just nice to have it once in a while though :) The Red Shoes The punishment for liking red shoes does seem a little too harsh but I'm not surprised, it kind of fits his style.